All sittings← 2011-02-072011-02-09 →
Tuesday, February 8, 2011 · sitting No. 126
Liberals press to reverse corporate tax cuts in supply debate
The House spent most of the day on a Liberal supply-day motion that calls on the government to reverse planned cuts to the corporate tax rate for large companies and restore the 2010 rate in the next budget. Liberal MP Scott Brison opened the debate by arguing that the reductions, pursued amid record deficits, would erode the fiscal capacity needed for investments in health care and support for seniors and middle-income families. Conservative MP Colin Carrie countered that higher corporate taxes would deter investment and cited Brison's past statements against rate increases.
In Question Period, Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff pressed Prime Minister Stephen Harper on the privacy implications of a proposed perimeter security arrangement with the United States and asked whether biometric data on Canadians would be shared. Harper replied that any measures would respect Canadian law and aim to reduce border delays while maintaining sovereignty over immigration policy. Bloc Québécois Leader Gilles Duceppe pressed Harper on federal compensation for Quebec's earlier sales-tax harmonization, and NDP MP Thomas Mulcair questioned the rushed handling of accelerated parole reforms.
From the Hansard record of the sitting. Full Hansard
No CPAC Question Period upload is on file for this day. CPAC’s channel goes back to December 2019.
Who held the floor · 2011-02-08
40Supply day yields one bill, many wordsThe House devoted most of its time to opposition supply motions and scattered other topics, yet recorded no votes and advanced only a single bill at introduction. Question Period produced mostly deflected or misdirected answers while the Speaker issued three calls to order.AI-rated Score out of 100; the verdict and the answer ratings behind it are a model’s reading. How the AI rates this
AI-rated The sitting score and the rating of each answer come from a language model reading Hansard. How the AI rates this
Other moments
Youth Suicide
Liberal MP David McGuinty and Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre both marked what would have been Daron Richardson's 15th birthday and urged support for the Do It for Daron Purple Pledge Day to promote youth mental health.
Read the exchangeGovernment Appointments
NDP MP Charlie Angus asked Heritage Minister James Moore why Tom Pentefountas received the CRTC vice-chair post despite not appearing on the short list, and Moore defended the choice as qualified and at arm's length.
Read the exchangeShipping Radioactive Waste
Bloc MP Paule Brunelle urged Natural Resources Minister Christian Paradis to halt plans to ship contaminated steam generators through the St. Lawrence, and Paradis said the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission decision met all safety standards.
Read the exchangeChild Care
Liberal MP Michael Savage pressed Human Resources Minister Diane Finley to apologize for remarks that offended parents using child care, and Finley said the government respects all parental choices through the universal child care benefit.
Read the exchangeSocial Housing
Liberal MP John McCallum asked why the $400 million social housing program was denied a seven-month extension given to other infrastructure programs, and Finley said most of the 12,000 projects under the economic action plan are already complete.
Read the exchangeQuestion Period, exchange by exchange
AI-rated Each answer’s rating (answered, partly answered, deflected, answered something else) is a model’s reading of the exchange. How the AI rates this
- deflectedCanada-U.S. RelationsMichael Ignatieff (Liberal) asked Stephen Harper (Conservative). loaded question.Answer denies premise and restates general commitment to law without addressing privacy specifics.
of course no such thing is being contemplated.
- deflectedCanada-U.S. RelationsMichael Ignatieff (Liberal) asked Stephen Harper (Conservative). loaded question.Answer avoids biometric details by pivoting to general economic and security goals.
Canadians expect us to work to make North America more secure and to improve trade between our two countries.
- partly answeredCanada-U.S. RelationsMichael Ignatieff (Liberal) asked Stephen Harper (Conservative). substantive question.Answer affirms sovereignty on immigration but shifts to broader trade and security talking points.
of course we will maintain those things.
- misdirectedTaxationScott Brison (Liberal) asked Ted Menzies (Conservative). substantive question.Answer attacks Liberal tax plan instead of addressing infrastructure effectiveness or deficit concerns.
the only thing we will cancel is the Liberals' tax raising plan.
- misdirectedTaxationScott Brison (Liberal) asked Ted Menzies (Conservative). substantive question.Answer pivots to criticizing Liberal position change rather than explaining secrecy of corporate profit projections.
the only secret that I see here is why the Liberals have totally changed their position.
- partly answeredSales Tax HarmonizationMr. Gilles Duceppe (Bloc) asked Stephen Harper (Conservative). substantive question.Answer acknowledges Quebec differences and ongoing talks but does not explain refusal to compensate.
we have made progress in the negotiations, which are continuing.
- deflectedSales Tax HarmonizationMr. Gilles Duceppe (Bloc) asked Stephen Harper (Conservative). substantive question.Answer offers vague optimism about negotiations without addressing tax evasion measures.
we have been negotiating for a long time and are making important progress.
- deflectedSales Tax HarmonizationMr. Daniel Paillé (Bloc) asked Ted Menzies (Conservative). loaded question.Answer reframes issue as incomplete harmonization without engaging sovereignty or cheque demands.
the only stumbling block is the fact that Quebec and the Government of Canada are still negotiating full harmonization.
- deflectedSales Tax HarmonizationMr. Daniel Paillé (Bloc) asked Ted Menzies (Conservative). substantive question.Answer mentions ongoing talks but ignores the call for PM intervention and specific budget funding.
negotiations between the Government of Quebec, not the Bloc, and the federal government on the harmonization of Quebec sales tax continues.
- misdirectedGovernment AppointmentsMs. Libby Davies (NDP) asked James Moore (Conservative). loaded question.Answer attacks the premise by questioning the asker's characterization instead of addressing the patronage policy change.
I wonder what kind of a Conservative hack was a candidate for the Liberal Party of Canada in 2004.
- partly answeredGovernment AppointmentsMr. Charlie Angus (NDP) asked James Moore (Conservative). substantive question.Answer addresses conflict-of-interest claim but does not explain appointment criteria or address the partisan pattern raised.
there is no conflict of interest.
- misdirectedGovernment AppointmentsMr. Charlie Angus (NDP) asked James Moore (Conservative). substantive question.Answer dismisses the question as conspiracy theories and fails to explain the appointment process or eligibility.
the fantasies of the member for Timmins—James Bay never cease to amaze.
- deflectedTaxationMr. Marcel Proulx (Liberal) asked Rob Moore (Conservative). substantive question.Answer pivots to past Liberal taxes instead of addressing why SMEs receive no benefit from the cited tax breaks.
in all of our consultations with small business, the one thing we have not heard is that business wants to go back to the high tax ways of the Liberals.
- deflectedTaxationMr. Marcel Proulx (Liberal) asked Rob Moore (Conservative). substantive question.Answer quotes a third party on integration of businesses but does not engage the specific claim about which firms benefit.
The small and medium-sized business sector is very integrated with the large businesses sector in Canada.
- partly answeredHuman ResourcesHedy Fry (Liberal) asked Diane Finley (Conservative). substantive question.Answer lists existing EI changes but does not address the broader home-care support gap or cost burden raised.
We increased the number of people who are eligible.
- misdirectedHuman ResourcesHedy Fry (Liberal) asked Diane Finley (Conservative). substantive question.Answer shifts to criticizing Liberal promises rather than responding to the current lack of support for family caregivers.
if the Liberals believe so much in standing up for Canadians and their needs for compassionate care, then please explain to me why they have promised such a program not just once or twice but three and four times.
- deflectedShipping Radioactive WasteMs. Paule Brunelle (Bloc) asked Christian Paradis (Conservative). substantive question.Answer accuses questioner of panic and fearmongering without addressing the Sweden waste return point.
This attempt to instill panic is absolutely wrong and dishonest.
- deflectedShipping Radioactive WasteMs. Paule Brunelle (Bloc) asked Christian Paradis (Conservative). substantive question.Answer repeats prior points on radiation and fearmongering instead of addressing overturning the decision.
They should stop fearmongering.
- partly answeredThe EnvironmentMr. Bernard Bigras (Bloc) asked Peter Kent (Conservative). substantive question.Answer states a plan exists and is working but provides no timeline or new details on greenhouse gas reductions.
we have a plan and the plan is working.
- misdirectedThe EnvironmentMr. Bernard Bigras (Bloc) asked Peter Kent (Conservative). loaded question.Answer pivots to praising oil sands and insults the opposition rather than explaining subsidies versus clean energy.
our gas emitting friends on the other side of the House should be aware that all Canadians are proud of the Canadian oil sands
- deflectedChild CareMr. Michael Savage (Liberal) asked Diane Finley (Conservative). substantive question.Answer defends choice in child care and attacks Liberals on past comments without apologizing or confirming support for parental leave.
They are the ones who said that parents would spend the universal child care benefit on beer and popcorn.
- deflectedChild CareMr. Michael Savage (Liberal) asked Diane Finley (Conservative). substantive question.Answer lists government programs and attacks a Liberal comment instead of addressing the agenda of attacking families.
That is an insult to Canadian families.
- deflectedSocial HousingJohn McCallum (Liberal) asked Diane Finley (Conservative). substantive question.Answer highlights past housing investments without confirming any extension for the social housing program.
We invested $2 billion in this project, which immediately created jobs and helped thousands of people across Canada obtain the housing they needed.
- deflectedSocial HousingJohn McCallum (Liberal) asked Diane Finley (Conservative). substantive question.Answer repeats project completion stats without explaining why social housing was excluded from the extension.
The majority of these projects have already been completed.
- deflectedPublic SafetyMr. Thomas Mulcair (NDP) asked Vic Toews (Conservative). substantive question.The answer attacks the NDP's position without addressing any of the three specific questions on cases affected, charter implications or costs.
It is consistent with its policies in respect of soft on crime and allowing criminals to victimize people through fraud, especially our senior citizens.
- deflectedPublic SafetyMr. Thomas Mulcair (NDP) asked Vic Toews (Conservative). rhetorical question.The answer ignores the questions about federal oversight failures and pivots back to attacking the NDP on parole reform.
The New Democratic Party is standing in the way of reforms that would ensure individuals like that serve their debt to society and are not released back on the street to victimize other individuals.
- answeredGovernment appointmentsMr. Pierre Paquette (Bloc) asked James Moore (Conservative). loaded question.The answer directly rebuts the premise by noting the appointee was a Liberal candidate and is at arm's length.
Mr. Gingras was a candidate for the Liberal Party of Canada, not the Conservative Party, in 2004.
- partly answeredGovernment appointmentsMr. Jean Dorion (Bloc) asked Lawrence Cannon (Conservative). substantive question.The answer addresses the renewal process and consultation but does not respond to the call for removal of the board members.
As with other appointments to Rights & Democracy, we are consulting the opposition in the hope of obtaining a positive response.
- answeredInternational Co-operationMaria Minna (Liberal) asked Ms. Lois Brown (Conservative). loaded question.The answer explains the program's rejection criteria and invites reapplication, addressing the funding decision.
We understand that agency officials expressed concern with CTF regarding a lack of focus, a lack of sustainability and a lack of budgetary information.
- answeredInternational Co-operationMaria Minna (Liberal) asked Ms. Lois Brown (Conservative). rhetorical question.The answer explains the accountability process and why the proposal was refused, addressing the core funding complaint.
CTF knows full well why the agency refused its proposal.
- misdirectedNatural ResourcesMr. Nathan Cullen (NDP) asked Christian Paradis (Conservative). substantive question.The answer dismisses concerns as fearmongering and attacks the member rather than addressing the shipment or review process.
I do not know why the member is once again trying to undermine the credibility of a quasi-judicial organization, which is arm's-length from the government.
- deflectedFisheries and OceansMr. Fin Donnelly (NDP) asked Gail Shea (Conservative). substantive question.The answer shifts to the fishing industry without addressing the duty to protect orcas or the appeal decision.
To appeal this decision is in the best interest of Canadians and the fishing industry.
- deflectedCensusCarolyn Bennett (Liberal) asked Tony Clement (Conservative). substantive question.The answer praises short-form success but ignores how northern challenges will be addressed without the long form.
She would be pleased to know that so far all of these are an absolute success.
- partly answeredCultureMrs. Carole Lavallée (Bloc) asked James Moore (Conservative). loaded question.The response rebuts the premise of cuts by citing increased subsidies but does not address the specific threat to periodicals.
more Quebec periodicals than ever will receive federal government subsidies as a result of these changes.
- misdirectedAgricultureMr. Alex Atamanenko (NDP) asked Gerry Ritz (Conservative). loaded question.The answer shifts to general farm-group support for science rather than addressing the bill or specific GM crops.
every farm group across the country stands with sound science and the regulatory system that we already enjoy.
- deflectedCensusCarolyn Bennett (Liberal) asked Tony Clement (Conservative). substantive question.The answer highlights response rates but avoids any commitment to restoring the long form census.
I am sure the hon. member will join with me in appreciating the fact that Canadians are filling out both the national household survey and the short form census